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I possess some opinions about that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to win it. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {